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Jews of Israel are of Easten European or Anglo ancestry and therefore, are not the original Jews.

Most of the Jews were chased out of Israel during the great Diaspora, as a result they were spread over most of the known world. Many of the places they spread to were bigoted against the Jews and a Jew dating a non-Jew would have gone over about as well as an African dating a Caucasian in the 50's. When dating someone can mean your loss of property, being banned from your community, or even your death you pretty much tend to stay away from dating that type of person no matter how much you like them.

While today Jews come from all over the planet the discrimination they have faced has kept the Jewish race allot more pure then any other race that is contained in a small area. This is why many people claim they can tell a Jew by looking at them. (Personally I don't spend much time trying to discover what people group a person belongs to., so I really don't pay it much attention. I am just saying what others say.)

While today Jews come from all over the planet the discrimination they have faced has kept the Jewish race allot more pure then any other race that is contained in a small area. This is why many people claim they can tell a Jew by looking at them.

Actually, Judaism is not a race at all. In Israel, you will see a great variety of Jews (with families going back several centuries) with black hair, brown hair, blonde hair, red hair, light skin, dark skin, and well, you get the picture. There are some stereotypical features that some Jews have. And, some non-Jews have the very same features!

Then what do I call people who say they are athiest, or agnostic Jews?

How about HUMANS??

Look, I've had this debate too many times, so I don't feel like getting into it again... but Judaism is BOTH a culture/ethnicity and a religion. Therefore, it's entirely possible to be an Atheist or Agnostic Jew, just as I am (Agnostic). I'll be happy to provide sources on that if you'd like....

Look, I've had this debate too many times, so I don't feel like getting into it again... but Judaism is BOTH a culture/ethnicity and a religion. Therefore, it's entirely possible to be an Atheist or Agnostic Jew, just as I am (Agnostic). I'll be happy to provide sources on that if you'd like....

This is totally true gizmo, and I don't see how anyone can argue with you, since you..are...a...JEW! You should know, right?

Judaism is indeed both of what you mentioned. Sammy Davis Jr. was a converted Jew!

I think it's largely because it's a small, distinct, and relatively powerful cultural force in the world. Israel, at its height, was puny in comparison to the great powers of the world. Look at the impact that Jews have had on the world, even outside of their religious impact! In fact, outside of religion, the development of Jewish culture in Europe has had a large impact on European culture. I think the flipside to this is that many people can identify that the Jews are a relatively small ethnic minority with a lot of influence, and wish them ill because they have done very well through centuries of hardship.

Then what do I call people who say they are athiest, or agnostic Jews?

It's very confusing, I know. The situation is not at all like various denominations of Christianity.

In general, there are two ways in which people identify as Jews. One is purely religious. Any person on earth can convert to Judaism (through proper halachic channels).

And, people born to Jewish women are born into the Jewish people regardless of their observance of the Jewish religion. It's not at all the same as someone being born into a Catholic or Baptist family. Jews grow up with common experiences that are unique from the rest of society. Many of us have relatives who were murdered in the Holocaust, and with the exception of those living in Israel, we live in a Christian-centered society. All of these experiences and outlooks on life bond together even those who are not observant Jews.

I do not consider Judaism to be my race. There is no country of Jew, never was one called Jew. When I fill out a form where you have to indicate race, I don't put an X in other and write down Jew. Jew isn't ever one of the choices. I can't think of any Jew I know that considers Judaism a race.

First of all, I should say it's nice to see more Jews on the board! As for the last comment, I don't think we consider it a race, at least not in the same way as being Black, Asian, and so forth. But it is an "ethnic" group of sorts, since we're identified as Jewish by blood. And like Ilovejazz so eloquently stated, we also share a common history & current experiences. So even if one doubts the existence of God, most of us still identify as Jewish... especially someone like myself who's still observant - i.e. attends Temple regularly, practices the traditions (like holidays), and even keeps Kosher. I'm a Reform Jew, so my issues with whether or not I believe aren't really a problem.

Btw, I just got a painful reminder of how much hatred still exists toward our people... when doing a quick Google search on this subject (trying to find an article I located before), I came across a horrible anti-Semitic site - literally made me sick to my stomach. I don't even want to quote it, because that would be giving them credit, but it was SICK. And the sickest part? They had a "disclaimer" at the bottom, claiming that they don't condone hate or violence toward non-Aryans. If you're going to be a racist pig, at least have the cajones to admit it for cryin' out loud. Anyway, just had to vent about that for a moment....

Alright, just to give you a SMALL idea of what this site was about, I'll paraphrase one thing they said: "White Westerners built this country, Jews & Blacks (whom they also hate) are merely living in it." They also expressed their dismay at minorities holding political office, which they claim goes against America's principles. Disgusting.

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